Into the Hellmouth
by PSullys
Summary: The story of Eris Morn, and her fire team's failed attempt to avenge their comrades who were killed at Mare Imbrium and to destroy Crota.
1. Chapter 1: The taikonaut

Into the Hellmouth

**Chapter One: The Taikonaut**

The nameless Taikonaut lay on the surface of the moon. His suit, once white and shiny and new, was now gray from the dust that had slowly covered his body. The dust had filled his suit, leaking in from the hole in his face mask, slowly covering his grinning skull.

He would have been born somewhere in Mainland China - Shanghai, or perhaps Beijing. He would have looked up at the stars at night in wonder, hoping to travel to them. He would've gotten his opportunity when he received an e-mail from the Chinese space program, telling him that he was a prime candidate for their lunar colony in the ocean of storms. He lived among explorers - pathfinders - pioneers.

He died among them as well.

His comrades were scattered everywhere, some buried, some not, their mouths open in eternal screams.

The Taikonaut lay, undisturbed. But then, a strange breeze arrived, and gray dust flew over the taikonaut's body. The ground seemed to shake, as did the ruined structures that surrounded the dead man.

Six jump ships appeared above the Ocean of Storms. Quickly, their passengers transmatted to the surface, before the ships flew back into orbit.

The Taikonaut would not have recognized the six beings that stood before him - or perhaps he would have. All six of them were Guardians - servants of the traveler, and protectors of the Last City on Earth. There was one titan by the name of Vell Tarlowe, whose markings identified him as a member of the Pilgrim Guard. There were two warlocks as well. One was an exo by the name of Eriana-3, a member of the Order of the Praxic Fire, and the other went by the name of Toland. There were three hunters as well - Omar Agah, Sai Mota, and Eris Morn.

Toland cocked his head to side. "Well," he said, "shall we be on our way?"

Eriana remembered Wei-Ning. Her helmet off in the tower, laughing in spite of the Darkness. Wei, fighting off hordes of Fallen from the city walls. Wei, as she faced droves of Hive on the moon.

Wei, slumped down from pure exhaustion.

Wei, as the beast who called himself the Son of Oryx brought a sword down on her head.

Eriana clenched her fists. "Yes," she said, "let us have our vengeance."

The Guardians, weapons in hand, walked past the Taikonaut, with one thought filling their heads.

Revenge.

They walked past the dead man, their footprints preserved in the dust of the moon.

Yet still, the Taikonaut screamed.


	2. Chapter 2: Wei

Chapter Two: Wei

The fireteam marched along the moon's darkened surface. As they walked, they passed buildings and machinery, all of it covered in Chinese glyphs. One such building had a tube sticking out of it. The tube ran for miles upon miles, across Luna's barren surface. It had been built in the early 23rd Century by Chinese scientists, who had used the particle accelerator to revolutionize human understanding of traditional physics. But it was far more than a simple machine. To all of humanity - and especially to the Chinese - it stood a testament to what they had accomplished. To what the Traveler had brought. A monument to the exploration and colonization of a surface beyond Earth's own atmosphere. People looked at it, and thought, If we can do that, we can do anything.

Now, the accelerator was a monument once more - a monument to the fall of the Earthlings. Their once-great cities lay in ruin, the sole survivors cowering for dear life as they huddled beneath the shadow of a broken God.

The symbolism was not lost on the Guardians, who had vowed to take back the land that their ancestors had conquered. So they went to the moon in droves, ready to reclaim this ancient symbol of triumph. Eriana-3 had been among them. She went with her brothers and sisters to take the dark side of the moon for the Light once again.

But how could they have anticipated the horror that awaited them?

How could they have prepared for Crota?

Wei-Ning had been a titan, and, as her name suggested, was Chinese in origin. Her ancestors may have been among those that built the ancient accelerator, though she couldn't know for sure. To many Guardians, Wei-Ning was a hero - a stalwart defender of the Light. Tales abounded throughout the city of the thousands of Fallen and Hive that she had killed. To many, she was a legend.

But to Eriana, she was so much more.

Wei-Ning had saved Eriana's life once, when she was first resurrected by her ghost. A fallen Walker had had her pinned down, with no weapons, no training, and no hope. But Ning flew in on her ship, and jumped down to her. She said once sentence to the newly resurrected Guardian - "Are you alive?"

Eriana didn't answer, because she didn't know. All her exo-brain had understood was that she was surrounded by creatures that she didn't recognize, that the strange object that called itself "ghost" said that she was now a guardian, and that her only memories were more shadow than light.

Ning hadn't waited for the answer. She'd tossed Eriana a weapon - a hand cannon, if she remembered correctly - and then leaped into the fray.

She'd grabbed a shotgun, and blasted her way through the pack of Fallen until she'd reached the Walker. Ignoring the onslaught of wire rifles and shock pistols, she'd jumped on top of it, and ripped open the hatch. Then she'd jumped inside, and the walker went still.

Then it exploded in a blaze of fire that forced Eriana to look away. But when she looked back, she saw a dazed Wei-Ning emerge from the burning wreckage. She'd noticed a nearby Vandal taking aim at the Titan with it's wire rifle. The sight of that Vandal triggered something within her - she began to judge the wind speed, how far the bullet would fall, the distance to the target, the place likely to take it out as quickly as possible.

So stepped out from behind cover, took aim, and fired one bullet.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

She fired until the magazine went dry, at which point her ghost resupplied her with ammunition, and she continued her onslaught, every bullet landing with deadly precision.

She didn't know who killed the last of the Fallen - her or Wei. But eventually, only the two Guardians were standing.

The Vanguard had been quite impressed by Wei-Ning's heroic rescue mission, and even more so by Eriana's uncanny ability for combat. It especially surprised Zavala that a Warlock should show so much skill with weapons. But Ning's question to her - "Are you alive?" - continually prodded at her.

Technically speaking, the question was a philosophical one - Could a robot of any kind truly be considered alive? - and a statement of their lifestyle - Did life as an eternal soldier constitute living? - but whenever she was with Wei, she knew the answer.

Yes.

Wei and she had bonded over time, always running strikes and scouting missions together. They were not quite romantic - she was not sure what their relationship had been - but they were more than "just" friends.

And she would have her vengeance on the beast that had taken her.


	3. Chapter 3: Troubling Reports

**Chapter Three: Troubling Reports**

**Two Months Earlier**

Eriana and Wei walked alongside each other on the Wall. For most titans, the wall was a symbol of how far their order had come. The titans had laid the foundations for the City, erected it's first walls beneath the Traveler. It was their pride and joy.

Unlike most titans, however, Wei-Ning found the wall to be an entirely tiresome affair - as did Eriana, as fate would have it. So, they preoccupied themselves with other matters.

"Come on," Wei persisted. "You have to come to the Blustery Brew with me sometime! Have a drink or two, relax! You work too hard, Eriana. Learn to have some fun!"

"Sorry, not in my programming," Eriana quipped. Wei was among the only people she joked about her mechanical origins with - it was off limits to almost everyone else.

"Oh, Vikram's ale can fix that," Wei replied, grinning. "He has a specialized version for exos!"

"Really?" Eriana asked. Wei had actually surprised her for once. "How does that work?"

Wei waved a hand dismissively. "Something about slowing down your pump coolant flow," she said. "I don't pretend to know how it works."

"It's a miracle you titans can even 'pretend' to know anything - much less learn it for real!" And the two shared a laugh.

Just then, they heard a shout from below them. "Hello!" came the shout. "I have refugees! Open the doors!"

Eriana and Wei looked over the Wall, and saw a beleaguered-looking hunter approaching. Behind her was a line of gaunt refugees. "Open the gate!" came a shout. "I have refugees with me!"

Wei frowned. "I know that hunter," she said. "She set out on patrol yesterday morning."

"By herself?" Eriana asked.

"With three others," Wei replied grimly.

Eriana frowned. "What happened to the three other Guardians?"

Wei was silent for a moment. "Let's find out." And with that, she made for the stairs.

The gates had just started to open when Wei and Eriana at last reached the base of the Wall. A hunter, her cloak torn and tattered, limped in, followed by a trail of sickly-looking refugees.

The hunter walked over to a nearby box, and sat down on it with a massive sigh. The refugees, their eyes flitting about like scared animals, were guided away by FOTC medics.

Wei walked up to the Guardian. "Hello, Natasha," she said.

The Guardian jerked with surprise, and then relaxed as she saw Wei. "Hello, Wei," she said. She nodded towards Eriana. "Who's that?"

"Eriana-3." The warlock extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you."

The hunter didn't move to shake her hand, so Eriana abandoned the gesture.

"What happened to the others?" Wei asked. "When you went out this morning, there were -"

The hunter shook her head. "Dead," she said. "All of them. The ghosts too, best I can tell." She closed her eyes. "They fought well."

Eriana was shocked. What on earth could've killed not one, but _three _Guardians?

Wei kneeled down next to the hunter. "What happened?" she asked.

Natasha didn't open her eyes, but began to speak, her voice lethargic. "We found the refugees about a two hundred clicks from the City - out in the Eastern flood zone. They begged us for help - they kept babbling about shadows in the night, and that sort of thing." She sighed. "I chalked it up to stealth vandals."

"Why didn't you call for an evac?" Wei asked.

"Comms were down," Natasha said. "Besides, it was getting dark, and I wanted to be out of their by nightfall." She stretched, and Eriana heard the hunter's joints crack.

"We were taking enemy fire," she continued. "They were everywhere, but we couldn't figure out what they were. Not until we found the ship, that is."

Wei frowned. "Who attacked you?" she asked.

Natasha opened her eyes, and looked over at Wei. "Hive," she said. "They're here. On Earth." She shook her head. "We fought well, but there were too many."

Wei stilled, and glanced over at Eriana. The Warlock nodded. Limited patrols on Luna had revealed the presence of a species of alien known as Hive; terrifying and arcane, the Hive killed anything that dared go near them. Many Guardians had been sent to scout out the Hive, and find out about their Hierarchy. Few had returned.

Fewer still had returned unscathed.

"You're certain?" Wei asked.

The hunter nodded. "Positive." She closed her eyes again. "We fought well. . . But the others. . ." She shook her head. "Forgive me. I'm tired."

Wei nodded. "Let's get you home, Natasha," she said. "Eriana?"

Eriana ran up to the beleaguered Hunter, and grabbed her by the left shoulder. Wei grabbed her right, and together, they hoisted her onto her feet. Then, they half-walked, half dragged, the Hunter back to the Tower.

"These reports are. . . troubling, to say the least," Zavala said.

"I agree," the Speaker said. "Ghost? You may leave."

"Thank you," Natasha's ghost said. The little light exited the Consensus meeting. He had just shown them recordings of the battle that his Guardian had fought with the Hive.

The Speaker turned to Zavala. "You have the floor," he said.

Zavala nodded, and turned down the lights. A hologram of the Eastern Flood Zone appeared in the center of the table. "Several weeks ago, we registered seismic activity in the Eastern flood zone," he said. Several red marks appeared on the hologram. "Since a nearby Guardian reported seeing several meteors in the area earlier that day, we believed that an asteroid had fragmented in the atmosphere before making impact. However, thanks to the sacrifice provided by Natasha and her fireteam, we now know the truth; the earthquakes were Hive ships, landing on the surface."

"How many ships?" Lakshmi-2 asked.

Zavala sighed. "We're not sure," he said. "But given the size of the readings, we're facing a rather large invasion force."

"Do we have an estimate on their numbers?" Lord Saladin asked.

"Several hundred, at least," Zavala said.

The council grew quiet.

"To me, our next step is clear," Executor Ho said. The New Monarchy leader leaned forward. "We need to send another force in to eradicate what's left of the Hive, and test their strength in earnest."

"You have a force in mind?" Arach Linde, the Dead Orbit represetative, inquired.

"Shaxx's Redjacks," Ho replied. "They're experienced warriors. I have no doubt of their ability in this matter." The New Monarchy Leader inspected his hand. "I expect that a half a dozen should suffice."

Ikora exchanged wary glances with her fellow Vanguard members. They were thinking exactly what she was. "The Hive killed three Guardians," she said. "If we are going to send in the Redjacks, we should at least send the full force."

"A dozen Guardians seems a bit much, don't you think?" Ho said.

"We have no idea how strong or weak the opposing force is," Zavala replied. "If anything, it's too few."

Ho sniffed. "Fine," he said. "But it's still a waste of resources."

"All in favor?" the Speaker asked.

The members of the consensus raised their hands.

"Unanimous then," the Speaker said. "Very well." He looked around the room. "Send for Shaxx at once; we'll ask for his opinion on the matter."

A few minutes later, Shaxx walked into the Consensus, holding his helmet under his arm. "You asked for me?" he said.

"That we did," the Speaker replied. "You're aware of the incident in the Eastern Flood Zone?"

Shaxx frowned. "All I know is that we lost three Guardians," he said.

"We lost them to the Hive," Linde said.

Shaxx blinked. "Hive?" he said. "They're here? On Earth?"

Linde nodded.

Shaxx frowned. He rubbed his chin. "This changes things," he said.

"I agree," Zavala said. "We believe that the Hive that Natasha and her fire team encountered may have only been a small faction of the true Hive invasion force. We'd like to send in a team to destroy the remaining Hive."

Shaxx nodded. "You want me to use my Redjacks, I take it?"

"That was the idea," Cayde chirped.

"Alright," Shaxx said. "How well have the Hive dug in?"

"Unknown," Zavala said.

Shaxx frowned. "How large is their force?"

"Unknown," Zavala said again. "Though we estimate the upper limit of their strength at several hundred."

Shaxx barred his teeth. "Do we know anything about them for certain!" he shouted.

"Do you doubt the ability of your Redjacks?" Ho sneered. "Or the ability of your leadership?"

Shaxx turned towards the New Monarchy leader. "Have you ever been in battle, Ho?" he asked. He began walking towards the Executor. "Ever watched your friends die alongside you? Ever been pinned down with no ammo and no back up? Ever felt shrapnel penetrate your lungs?" He reached Ho, and stared him in the eye. "No? Then I suggest you be quiet, you groveling coward!"

Ho's face turned purple with rage. "You can't talk to me like that!" he bellowed. Spittle flew from his mouth.

"I'll talk to you in any way in which I damn well please," Shaxx said. "Now be quiet - before decide to show the New Monarchy the true extent of my Redjack's abilities!

"You wouldn't dare incite another faction war!" Ho shouted.

A mad glint entered into Shaxx's eyes. "Try me," he said.

Ho looked even more furious than before, but he refrained from making any more insults. _He has that much sense, at least_, Ikora thought. She didn't doubt Shaxx's resolve in the matter; if anyone was mad enough to go to war with the New Monarchy, it was he.

"Shaxx," Zavala began, "I recognize that this is less than ideal -"

"Now there's an understatement," Shaxx grumbled, turning away from Ho.

"- but I need an honest answer. Can you do it?"

Shaxx sighed. "Blast you, Zavala," he said. "I'll take the Redjacks in - but if this lack of intel gets us killed, it'll be on your hands."

Zavala nodded. "Done."

Shaxx nodded, and sighed. He looked over at the Hologram. "Eastern Flood Zone," he said. "That's too far away for artillery to be of any help."

"I can give you a squadron of bombers to compensate," Zavala replied.

Shaxx grunted. He looked down at the map. "As soon as they're fueled and fully loaded, we're leaving," he said. "No sense in putting this off. We either die tomorrow, or we come home heroes."


	4. Chapter 4: Redjacks

Precisely twelve hours later, Shaxx and his Redjacks arrived at the Eastern Flood Zone. "This is it," he said. "Set your ships down here."

Sixteen Guardian vessels made landing, with five FOTC bombers hovering over them.

Shaxx transmatted out of his ship. He watched as the Redjacks did the same. Most were titans, but there were a few hunters and warlocks scattered among them. The brute work required to maintain the crucible seemed to appeal more to titans than warlocks or hunters. The warlocks were too arrogant to subject themselves to such menial tasks, and the hunters found it too cumbersome. "The main Hive army is about two clicks that way," he said, pointing to the north. "The Vanguard believes that they've made camp along the shore of a nearby lake."

"Why are the bombers staying behind?" asked Rohan, the greenhorn of the group.

Shaxx sighed. "Because," he said, "At this moment, the Hive don't know we're here. At this moment, _we_ have the element of surprise. The bombers will take that from us. Better that we wait until we have a visual before calling them in."

Rohan nodded. "Okay."

His second in command, Baron, walked up to him. "We have no idea what we're facing, Shaxx," he said.

"I'm aware," Shaxx replied, "but we're going in anyways."

"I don't like it," Baron growled.

Shaxx sighed. "Neither do I," he said. And with that, the Redjacks walked off to face the Hive.

After about twenty minutes, the Repacks arrived at the top of a nearby hill. Shaxx looked at the land in front of him, and cursed.

The Hive commander had several seeder ships scattered throughout the plain before them, apparently clustering his force around the center of the largest ship. On one side of the army was a lake, which was a blue-green color. On the far side of the encampment was an old industrial complex, smokestacks poking out of it's top. Aging pipes poked their way out of it's base, and snaked their way into the depths of the lake.

He looked over at Barron. "You see what I see?"

The titan nodded. "We need reinforcements," he said.

"There's no time," Shaxx said. "A group like that? They could overrun the walls if they got close enough."

Barron grimaced. "I don't like our odds against a group that large," he said.

Shaxx frowned. "Maybe we don't have to face the hole group," he said. He eyed the smokestacks. "Any what those are for?" he asked.

One of the two warlocks, Pierre, cleared his throat. "The lake has large petroleum deposits beneath it," he said. "In fact, records say that we were piping it well into the mid-golden age."

"Petroleum," Shaxx muttered. "That could be useful."

The Redjacks were silent for a moment. "What do we do, Shaxx?" Barron asked.

Shaxx stared at the encampment for a moment more. "We have the bombers hit their forces where they're most concentrated," he said. "Hopefully, they'll scatter, and we can move in for the kill while they try to regroup. Have the bombers come in for another run." He looked to Barron and Natalya, the group's sole hunter. "Each of you take three others," he said. "Barron, take your crew to a position by the petroleum refinery. Natalya, take yours to the eastern edge of the encampment, opposite the lake. The rest are with me."

"Got it," Barron said. The two Guardians picked their teams, and moved

"Now what?" Rohan asked.

"Now," Shaxx said, "we wait." And for several minutes, the Redjacks crouched and waited by the hillside.

After a few minutes, Barron's voice came in over the radio. "Shaxx," he said, "do you read me?"

"I do," Shaxx siad.

"I'm in position."

"As am I," said Natalya.

"Alright then," Shaxx said. "Calling in the bombers." He keyed his radio. "Captain Townsend, this is Lord Shaxx, do you copy?"

"This is Captain Townsend of the FOTC, I read you, Shaxx," came the reply.

"Alright, drop your bombers on these coordinates," Shaxx said, "Alpha. Zero. Wiskey. Niner."

"Copy that, Shaxx," Townsend said, "coming in for a run."

Shaxx heard the sonic boom from the bombers resonate through the air. He just hoped that the Hive hadn't.

The bombers entered the airspace less than a minute later. If the Hive had any air defenses, the bombers proved too fast for them. The ships flew over the encampment, and unleashed their payload upon it. The center of the encampment turned red, the explosion decimating everything within a half a kilometer of the impact site.

Shaxx grinned as he felt the ground shake beneath his feet, and heard the boom ring in his ears. "Perfect," he said. He got on his radio. "Everybody, prepare to move in! Let's mop up these bastards!"

"Hold off, Shaxx," he heard Townsend say, "We're coming in for another run."

"Pick your targets," Shaxx said. Then, he keyed his radio. "Hold off!" he said. "We've got some more fireworks to see!" He watched as the bombers began to turn in the distance.

Then, he saw something else above the encampment.

He squinted. "What the hell?"

Five rectangular ships - tomb ships, he remembered - appeared above the Hive encampment. They then made a beeline for the bombers.

Shaxx swore. "Captain Townsend, you've got company!"

"Acknowledged," Townsend replied. "We're taking evasive -"

The tombships suddenly accelerated, and flew into the line of bombers, colliding with them.

"No!" Shaxx shouted. But he was too late. The bombers were little more than debris, falling to the ground like ash.

All save one.

One of the bombers had somehow survived the collision more or less intact. However, it's engines were in flames, and it was falling out of the sky - and fast.

Shaxx frowned. "Ghost?" he said. "Analyze the trajectory of that ship."

"Got it," his ghost said. A few moments later, a dotted line appeared on his HUD.

Shaxx paled. "Ghost?" he said. "Is this accurate?"

"Yes," he said.

Shaxx swore again. "Barron, get out of the refinery now!" he shouted into his radio.

"What?" Barron asked.

"I said, get out of there now! That bomber is about to fall right on top of you!"

"What?"

"I said -"

The bomber fell nose first into the refinery, engulfing the building in flames. The aging pipes burst in places, the explosion tearing it's way through the rusted metal.

"Barron!" Shaxx shouted.

The radio failed to respond.

Shaxx stared at the raging inferno. There was no way anybody could have survived the explosion, ghost or no ghost. Then, he looked to his right, and gaped.

Evidentially, the old petroleum deposits beneath the surface had ruptured, sending it to the surface. The explosion had also apparently ignited the fuel. The surface of the lake was now burning.

For a brief moment, Shaxx wondered if he was in hell.

Then, he shook his head. "Guardians, if you can read me, move in!" he shouted. "Let's show these bastards what we're made of!" And then he charged towards the Hive encampment, the other Guardians following him.


	5. Chapter 5: Burning Lake

**Chapter Five: Burning Lake**

At first, the explosion appeared to have had the desired effect - the Hive that they encountered appeared confused and disorganized. However, they found relatively few Hive, most of them acolytes, with a few thrall thrown in for good measure. Shaxx had been expecting low resistance, but not _this _low.

Later, he would curse himself for not seeing the easy victory for what it was - a trap.

Shaxx heard it spring before he saw it. As the Hive army retreated before them, he heard the sound of digging behind him. Puzzled, he turned around, just in time to see the ground before him explode.

Shaxx wiped the dirt off of his helm. For a moment, all he could see was dust.

Then, dozens of screaming thrall emerged from the dust, claws outstretched.

Shaxx swore. "Back!" he shouted. "Back!" The Guardians ran deeper into the Hive encampment.

"What now!" Rohan asked.

"We have to find cover!" Shaxx replied. He looked around, and saw a Hive seeder to their left. Two of the doorways at its base were open. "There!" The Guardians sprinted towards the Seeder, and quickly entered it.

"Wolfgang and Pierre, take that doorway!" he shouted, pointing to the doorway on the right. "Me and Rohan will take this one! Kill anything that tries to come through!" The three Guardians did as instructed.

Shaxx took his position in the doorway, and aimed at the oncoming line of thrall. "Fire!" he shouted. Then, he let loose on the encroaching thrall.

The thrall fell before their bullets with ease. Within a few minutes, the thrall were either dead on the ground or scampering back into the encampment.

Shaxx was breathing heavily. He let his shoulders sag. "Was that all of them?" Rohan asked.

"I doubt it," Pierre said. "They were probably just the advance wave - softening us up for whatever else the Hive have in store for us."

Shaxx nodded. "Probably," he said. "Have your ghosts start synthesizing ammunition. We might be here awhile."

Moments later, the thrall ran at them again, screaming all the way. Shaxx cursed. "Fire!" he shouted. Then, he hefted his auto rifle, and let loose with a stream of bullets.

Three times, the thrall attacked, and three times, Shaxx's Redjacks pushed them back. "How many do you think there are?" Rohan asked.

"I don't know!" Shaxx shouted. "Zavala clearly underestimated their strength!" He watched as the last wave of thrall retreated back into the dust and smoke. Ash from the bombs had begun to fall, giving the landscape an almost wintery feel. Some of the bodies were already covered, making them barely distinguishable from the ground.

"Zavala," Wolfgang said through a thick German accent, "we should call for reinforcements."

Shaxx nodded. "Right," he said. "Ghost?"

His ghost popped up a moment later, and went into communication mode. "Stand by," he said. Then, "hm. . ."

"What's wrong?" Shaxx asked

"I'm not sure," his ghost replied, "I think that the Hive might be jamming our comms."

Shaxx frowned. "Can you reach the others?" he asked.

"Negative," he replied.

Shaxx gritted his teeth. "Dammit."

Then, Shaxx heard a roar emanate from the dust.

"The thrall!" Rohan shouted. "They're coming back!"

Shaxx looked out into the dust. "No," he said, "That wasn't a thrall."

Slowly, a massive shape emerged from the dust, about fifty meters out. It stood at least ten feet tall, and it's massive arms hung loose at it's sides. "Knights!" Shaxx shouted. The Guardians quickly up took their positions.

It was then that Shaxx noticed the Knight's weapon; a single, massive sword.

He frowned. It seemed odd that a race with the ability to travel across solar systems would use a weapon so primitive as a sword - however, it was part of the reason that the knights had gotten their name.

"Shaxx!" Pierre shouted. "Do we engage!"

Shaxx frowned. The knight had made no move to charge them. It simply stood there, sword in hand. "Hold for now," he said. Every instinct in his body was telling him to fire, but something just wasn't right.

The knight flexed his massive arms. Then, he lifted his sword into the air, and roared.

Twelve other knights - all of them bearing swords - emerged from the dust. The lead knight bellowed, and pointed his sword at the seeder ship.

Shaxx cursed. "Fire!" He let loose on the encroaching knights. His companions did the same. He heard the whistling of rocket launchers as Wolfgang and Rohan unleashed their fury

The rockets detonated, sending smoke, fire, and dust into the air. "Hold!" Shaxx shouted. The firing stopped as the Guardians waited for the smoke to clear.

In place of the knights, there stood thirteen black ovals. Shaxx frowned. "What in the Hell?"

Then, the opals faded away, revealing the unharmed knights behind them.

The lead knight bellowed, and his compatriots charged the Guardians. "Open fire, open fire!" Shaxx shouted.

The Redjacks complied.

The knights began to close ground quickly - far more quickly than Shaxx would've liked. The bony exoskeletons proved resilient to bullets. Their faces, however, seemed relatively unprotected. "Aim for the heads!" he shouted. He emptied his magazine, each bullet finding a target.

The knights began to drop off as they fell to the Guardian ammunition. By the time they were within ten meters of the seeder, only two remained.

Shaxx heard Pierre shout, and one of the knights disappeared in a burst of void light. Shaxx aimed at it, and, instead of the usual blast of bullets, he heard the weapon click. _Empty._

Shaxx cursed, and quickly drew his shotgun. He took aim at the knight's chest, and fired.

The knight's bony chest crumpled inward and the knight lurched forward. However, as it did so, the knight threw his sword at the Guardians. . .

. . . and ran Rohan through.

"No!" Shaxx shouted.

The young titan gasped. The foot-wide blade was sticking out of his back. He fell down, landing on his side.

Shaxx kneeled down next to Rohan. However, his breathing had already ceased.

His ghost was already scanning the body. "Get up, Rohan, get up!" she said.

"Here," Shaxx's ghost said, "let me help." He floated over to his companion. Shaxx patiently waited for the resurrection to commence.

However, several moments later, Rohan remained dead.

Shaxx frowned. "What's going on?"

"We're having trouble ressing him," his ghost said.

"What do you mean, 'trouble?'" Shaxx said, growing concerned.

"It's - it's like the light has gone out of his body," his ghost said.

Shaxx grew still. "What do you mean?"

His ghost paused. "Try removing the sword."

Shaxx obliged, and pulled the sword out of Rohan's innards. However, the Guardian still failed to rise.

After a few more moments, his ghost stopped. "What are you doing?" Rohan's ghost asked shrilly.

"He's gone," Shaxx's ghost replied. He paused. "I'm sorry."

Shaxx blinked. Rohan had died his final death - all because of a single blade. He would not be returning to the Tower. No. All that was left for him was a gleaming memorial.

Shaxx took off Rohan's helmet, and gazed upon the man's tortured expression. Grimacing, he closed Rohan's still open eyes.

Shaxx picked up the sword with one hand, and held it up to the light. The blade was still dark with the titan's blood.

This sword had pierced the finest armor that the Tower could make. Not only that, it had sapped the Light right out of Rohan's body. Whatever these swords were, they were more than simple blades.

Just then, a roar sounded from the outside of the ship. Shaxx looked outside.

More knights were gathering, along with a few wizards and acolytes. Some of the knights carried boomers, but most of them still bore swords.

"We won't survive another assault like that," Pierre said.

Shaxx nodded. "Stand back," he said. "Come out when I give the signal - and be ready to fight." He walked out of the seeder ship.

"Shaxx?" Pierre shouted. "Shaxx! What are you doing!"

But Shaxx made no reply. He kept walking until he was no more than twenty meters from the massing Hive army.

The lead knight pointed at him - it appeared to be the same knight that stood before them earlier.

Shaxx took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he'd tried something this big. He only hoped that he could summon the strength necessary.

Shaxx closed his eyes, and exhaled. He cast his shotgun aside. He could hear the Hive talking in their evil, guttural tongue, but he paid it no mind. "For the light is my strength, now and forever."

Shaxx opened his eyes again. He began breathing heavily. He could feel it - feel the light coursing through his veins - the raw power at his fingertips. All he need do was reach out and use it.

Shaxx inhaled, and jumped into the air. He clutched his fists together, and his hair stood on end as the arc energy began seething, looking for an outlet from his body.

Shaxx was only too happy to provide.

With a savage war cry, he brought his fists down onto the ground in front of him, and a wave of arc energy rushed out before him.

The wave washed over the army of Hive assembled before him, vaporizing any who stood in it's wake. A good portion of the Hive army turned to ash in an instant. The air crackled with electricity, and the smell of ozone and burned flesh filled the air.

Shaxx looked up. His fist of Havoc had utterly obliterated a large portion of the Hive, and the survivors seemed confused and disoriented - many had been tossed asunder by the force of the blast, and often fallen on top of their companions. Many of the knights had managed to stab themselves or their comrades with their swords, and the air was filled with the cries of the wounded Hive. It was pure chaos.

And chaos was a striker's best friend.

Shaxx grinned. "Now!" he shouted.

Wether his Redjacks responded, Shaxx neither knew nor cared. He grabbed his shotgun, and leapt towards the nearest wizard, who was busy trying to extricate herself from an apparently incapacitated knight.

There was still work to be done.

It took them the better part of an hour, but Shaxx and his Redjacks managed to kill most of the army that had attacked them. They then made their way northeast, towards the area where Natalya's group had been. On the way, they encountered multiple Hive, whom they summarily executed. The Hive did not give mercy, nor did Shaxx think that they should receive it.

Eventually, they reached a field covered in Hive bodies. Wolfgang let out a low whistle. "Safe bet that Natalya's been here," he said.

Just then, three figures sprang up out of the carnage, and pointed their guns at the group.

Shaxx put his hands up. "Easy, Natalya," he said. "You're among friends."

Breathing heavily, the hunter lowered her hand cannon. "Shaxx," she said, "you're alive." She sounded incredibly tired - like she hadn't slept in days.

Shaxx put his hands down. "Glad to see that you are as well," he said. He walked up to Natalya, and the two embraced.

Shaxx eyed the Guardians before him. All three were covered head to toe in Hive body parts and blood. He frowned. "Where's Argus?" he asked.

Natalya sighed. "Over there," she said, jerking her head to the left. "He's dead. His ghost too."

Shaxx pursed his lips, and walked over to where Natalya had indicated. "The knights got ahold of him," she said. "Started hacking at him with their swords. By the time we killed them, it was too late."

Shaxx looked down. The exo's head was detached from his mangled metallic body.

"I'm sorry."

Shaxx shook his head. "You did everything you could," he said. He turned back towards the hunter. "And you never gave up." He clapped her on the shoulder. "I couldn't ask for anything more, Natalya. I'm proud of you."

Natalya barely seemed to acknowledge the praise.

One of the acolytes nearby started moving, crawling over it's dead companions.

Natalya raised her hand cannon, and pulled the trigger. The weapon clicked empty. The hunter frowned, and looked at it in confusion.

"Here," Shaxx said, "use mine." He handed her his shotgun.

Natalya nodded in thanks, and then walked over to the acolyte. She stepped on it's back, and placed the barrel of the shotgun against the back of it's head. She kneeled down next to the alien.

Shaxx heard her whisper, "For Argus, you bastard," before she pulled the trigger.

They reached the northernmost side of the encampment fifteen minutes later. Upon arriving, they saw a mass of Hive before them. Inside of the mass, they heard the sound of Guardians shouting.

Though they were utterly exhausted, the Redjacks pounced on the Hive, catching them from behind. The remaining Hive were quickly turned to corpses.

Shaxx looked at the area that the Hive had been attacking. It was the remains of an old building, the walls almost rusted through in some places. He felt his pulse begin to quicken. "Come out!" he shouted. "They're all dead now!"

A titan, his armor covered in grime, poked his head out of the doorway. Shaxx recognized him as Colburn, one of the Redjacks Barron had taken with him.

Colburn looked back into the building. "Come on out, Arthur," he said. Another titan stepped out of the building.

Colburn walked up to Shaxx. "We're lucky you got here in time," he said. "We barely had any ammo left."

Shaxx nodded. "What about the others?" he asked.

Colburn shook his head. "We were on the far side of the refinery when the bomber fell," he said. "Only reason we survived. Barron was patrolling the far side with Augustine."

Shaxx nodded. "You're certain, then?" he asked.

Colburn nodded. "Trust me, Shaxx," he said. "No one could've survived that."

Shaxx looked out at the smoldering refinery. He felt the last bit of hope in his heart die. Barron had not survived the blast.

"Let's go home," Shaxx said. And with that, the beleaguered Redjacks set off towards their ships.


	6. Chapter 6: The Consensus

Ikora sighed, and closed Shaxx's mission report. Four Guardians dead, and an entire squadron of bombers destroyed. "How could we have been so blind?" she wondered aloud.

"We weren't," Zavala replied. "The Hive had tunneled beneath the landing site, and breeding beneath the surface. Besides, our estimates were just that - estimates."

"That doesn't excuse how far off they were," Ikora muttered darkly.

Arach Linde cleared her throat. "Commander Zavala," she said. "Shaxx characterized this army as an 'advance force.' Do you agree with that assessment?"

Zavala frowned. "Yes," he said, "These Hive appear to have arrived in an attempt to create a sort of beachhead for their brethren."

"So, you are telling the council that this was 'just' an advance force?" she asked.

Zavala's face darkened. "Yes," he said.

Linde made a _tsk-tsk _sound. "A mere advance force," she said. "And they were able to take out six of our ships, as well as kill no fewer than _four _Guardians - in fact, they almost killed a full twelve!"

"Here we go again," Cayde said.

"If a simple advance force could do this," she said, "what could the entirety of the Hive army do? We would wither against such an onslaught!" Linde gestured out a window, pointing at the Traveler. It's barren hulk still hung in the sky above the city. "Too long, we have waited beneath the shadow of a dead god! Too long have we waited for it to save us, when we must in fact save ourselves! We -"

"We must abandon the City, and flee to the stars, blah blah blah," Cayde cut in. "Gotta say, Linde, your speechmaking skills have really improved, though maybe go for a little less doom and gloom next time."

Linde fixed him with a piercing gaze. "You would make light of a situation like this?" she growled.

"Oh, I would never make light of a serious situation like this one," Cayde said. "Make fun of idiotic proposals? That I would definitely do."

Linde glowered at him.

"You've made your point, Linde," Zavala said, "However, abandoning the City is not a valid option."

"Then what is?" Linde asked.

"I may have one," Ho said.

"I hope it is more sound than your idea to send the Redjacks in," Linde said.

Ho flashed her a look of annoyance, but then proceeded to ignore her. "We know where those Hive came from," he said. "They did not simply appear out of the void."

"Your point?" Ikora asked.

Ho leaned forward. "We take the fight to them," he said. "Before they dare take it to us."

A hush fell over the room. "You're talking about an invasion of Luna?" Lakshmi said.

"Yes," Ho said. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"Do you forget what happened last time we sent Guardians to attack the Hive?" Ikora asked lamely.

"I'm not talking about sending in a dozen of Shaxx's pet Redjacks," Ho said. "I'm talking about a proper invasion force. We assemble as many Guardians as we can, and send them in as a proper army, with a proper battlefield commander."

"How many Guardians are we talking about?" Zavala asked.

"Two thousand," he replied.

Ikora frowned, and looked over at Cayde and Zavala. She could see that they shared her concerns. She turned back to the Consensus .

"We have five thousand Guardians protecting the City," she said. "We are still recovering from Twilight Gap, and our battle with Lysander has not aided us in that regard. We can scarcely afford to spare one Guardian, and you ask us to risk two thousand?"

"For the good of the City," Ho replied.

Zavala opened his mouth to say something, but Ho waved him off. "Now, now," he said. "There's no need to argue this now. After all, this is an immense plan, and I am certain that everyone will need time to make up their minds, and deliberate with the members of their faction."

Zavala closed his mouth. "Very well," he said. "We'll adjourn for now. We'll meet again in three days time."

Ho smiled. "Of course," he said. And with that, the members of the Consensus stood up to leave.

In an adjacent room, a Tower technician by the name of Paul O'Connor was working on installing a new comms panel. Or rather, that's what he was supposed to be doing. In reality, he'd been listening in on the Consensus meeting.

Paul was a man, who, for the most part, made an honest living by doing maintenance work on the Tower. However, he was also willing to do unsavory things in exchange for some extra glimmer.

Paul grabbed his tablet, and prepared to send a message to the man who was paying him. "It's me," he said. "I've got something you might be interested in. Leave the glimmer in the usual spot, and I'll send you the recording." And with that, he pressed the send button.


End file.
